"Ninety-nine percent of the interactions with fans are either very light-hearted or don't cross the line, but there are some that have," Stevens said. "I feel for the guys, because they're right there. We talk about how close the fans are to the benches, and it's even more so in the NBA. I don't go down to the end of the bench very often, but oftentimes, there's people literally sitting at the end of your bench."

"A lot of fans in today's game cross that line, because they feel like they're in a world, that they're above it and they can't be touched," Brown said. "Some players, they come from certain atmospheres, and if you cross that agenda, if you step over that line against their family or against who they are or who they represent, they might say something, that's the risk you run."

Jayson Tatum admitted it can be hard to not react.

"Basketball is a game full of emotion," he said. "Depending on the time of the game, the intensity, depending on what people say, it's not wrong to stand up for yourself."